Mada

Mada is a term from both Hindu theology and Hindu mythology.

Hindu theology

In Hindu theology it means "pride, stubborn mindedness". It is seen as a major obstacle to attaining moksha or salvation. As long as a Hindu harbors mada (written as मद in Sanskrit, not Maadaa, Maadaa means female of any animal species) or jealousy towards other fellow human beings, he will not be able to attain moksh or salvation.(Speakers of Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, etc., please use standard English transliteration of Sanskrit terms. "Mad" transliterates with a 'halant' at the end.)

Hindu mythology

In Hindu mythology, Mad is a gigantic Rakshas (demon or monster by the time) from the Hindu text, Mahabharat. It is created by sage Chyavan in return for the Aswins' act of returning his youth and vision. Mad's (मद) name means the intoxicator, his strength is being feared by the king of gods, Indra. It has the ability to change its size to swallow the entire universe in one gulp.

When the twin deities, the Aswins, wished to become complete immortals by drinking the elixir of immortality known as Som they were insulted to discover that the king of the devs Indra had not invited them to his party at Vaikunth. Feeling insulted, the twins rushed to speak with Indra on the matter. Indra refused to allow them access to Vaikunth or the elixir and said that as they associated with mortals so freely and took any form they pleased, they should not be granted full immortality or receive any offerings as devs. Angry at Indra's words and the insult to their pride, the twins sought the aid of the great sage Chyavan.

Mada (Buddhism)

Mada (Sanskrit; Tibetan phonetic: gyakpa ) is a Buddhist term translated as "self-satisfaction", "self-infatuation", or "mental inflation". It is identified as one of the twenty subsidiary unwholesome mental factors within the Mahayana Abhidharma teachings. In this context, it is defined as having excessive pride or vanity based on attachment to ones own good fortune, such as possessing youth, good health, or material wealth.

Definitions

The Abhidharma-samuccaya states:

Herbert Guenther explains:

Mipham Rinpoche states:

Alexander Berzin explains:

See also

References

Sources

MADA

MADA may refer to:

Al-Mada'in

Coordinates: 33°06′N 44°35′E / 33.100°N 44.583°E / 33.100; 44.583

Al-Mada'in ("The Cities") (Arabic: المدائن Al-Madā'in; Aramaic: Māhōzē) was an ancient metropolis which lay between the ancient royal centers of Ctesiphon and Seleucia. It was founded during Sasanian rule, and was used a synonym for Ctesiphon by the Arabs, and later by the Muslims.

Foundation and constitution

According to folklore, al-Mada'in was constructed by the legendary Iranian kings Tahmuras or Hushang, who named it Kardbandad. The city was then later rebuilt by the legendary Iranian king Zab, the Macedonian king Alexander the Great (r. 356-323 BCE) and the Sasanian king Shapur II (r. 309-379 CE). According to another folklore, the names of five (or seven) cities that al-Mada'in comprised were Aspanbur, Veh-Ardashir, Hanbu Shapur, Darzanidan, Veh Jondiu-Khosrow, Nawinabad and Kardakadh.

Sasanian period

According to Perso-Arabic sources, Ctesiphon, the capital of the Sasanian Empire, was greatly enlarged and flourished during their rule, thus turning into a metropolis, which was known by in Arabic as al-Mada'in, and in Aramaic as Mahoze. The oldest inhabited places of al-Mada'in was on its eastern side, which in Arabic sources is called “the Old City”, where the residence of the Sasanians, known as the White Palace, was located. The southern side of al-Mada'in was known as Aspanbar, which was known by its prominent halls, riches, games, stables, and baths.